Tech Sector is Expanding Beyond Silicon Valley

In November, Amazon announced that it would be opening a massive new headquarters in New York, and it’s not hard to understand why. The Big Apple is a veritable hub of available talent for all sorts of employers, and it was only a matter of time before the tech sector capitalized on this. Now, it turns out, Amazon’s not the only one making such a move. The New York Times reported this week that Google is following suit, investing $1 billion in a new New York campus that will house 7,000 new employees.

Google already runs about 7,000 strong in the area, so with this new facility in the West Village, its local workforce is expected to approximately double over the next decade. The location will likely total 1.7 million square feet, centered around the St. John’s Terminal building on Washington Street and also including two nearby buildings on Hudson Street. This is the second major move Google has made to increase its presence in Manhattan, with the first being a $2.4 billion investment in a Chelsea Market building back in March.

“New York City continues to be a great source of diverse, world-class talent,” said Ruth Porat, Google’s chief financial officer. “That’s what brought Google to the city in 2000, and that’s what keeps us here.”

Google’s New York expansion this year has been part of a larger trend; the tech sector has been expanding from its Silicon Valley roots. Amazon is expecting that 25,000 employees will eventually move into its new Long Island City site; additionally, Apple announced last week that it would spend $1 billion on a new hub in Austin, Texas.

What’s interesting about Google’s recent growth is that it’s largely happened quietly. While Amazon made nonstop headlines this year with its discussions about HQ2, Google has been building offices under the radar. The company has added to its existing workforce with new locations in Boulder, Colorado; Bridgeport, Alabama; and Clarksville, Tennessee.

“We’ve been growing steadily for the past 18 years without heralding trumpets or asking for support from the government,” said William Floyd, Google’s head of external affairs. “We’ve done it by the dint of our own work.”

Photo: Google’s New York City office. Credit: Northfoto / Shutterstock.com